Madison's Restaurant and Wine Garden

The Verdict

If you are staying at Old Edwards Inn & Spa in Highlands, NC, Madison's is the right call for dinner — full stop. The real insider move for anyone not already a guest: request a dinner reservation as early in your trip planning as possible. The dining room fills with hotel guests and loyal locals, walk-in availability at dinner is genuinely tight. Breakfast (7–10 a.m.) and lunch (11:30 a.m.–2 p.m.) are more accessible if you want to get a feel for the kitchen before committing to a full evening.

The Restaurant

Madison's sits off the main lobby of the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Old Edwards Inn & Spa at 445 Main Street, Highlands, NC — a mountain resort town about two hours from Asheville proper. That context matters: this is not a city restaurant that happens to be attached to a hotel. It is the culinary anchor of a sprawling historic inn, the kitchen operates accordingly. Chef Chris Huerta sources heavily from the resort's own gardens and greenhouses, which shapes the seasonally driven menu in a way that feels coherent rather than performative. A garden salad here arrives with farm-fresh vegetables and edible flower garnishes, the plate is as considered as anything you would find at a white-tablecloth standalone.

The dinner service (6–9 p.m.) is where the kitchen shows its range. The menu moves through Southern-influenced American fare built around what the gardens and local suppliers are producing. The rib eye is a reliable anchor for meat eaters, the chocolate bourbon soufflé, overseen by Executive Pastry Chef Vinzenz Aschbacher, appears frequently enough to be worth asking about when you book. It does not sit on the printed menu every night, but it is a frequent special and worth requesting. For wine, put yourself in the hands of sommelier Phillippe Brainos: his list leans toward European reds, he is the kind of specialist who can build a progression across your meal rather than just pouring by the glass.

That wine-and-food arc is worth leaning into at dinner. Madison's is structured more like a composed fine-dining experience than a choose-your-own-adventure menu. The progression from seasonally sourced starters through to the pastry kitchen's dessert program reads as deliberate. For returning guests, the move is to give Brainos latitude with the wine pairing and let the kitchen's seasonal selections guide the meal rather than ordering defensively from the printed menu.

The Forbes Four-Star rating on the parent property sets a service standard that the dining room largely matches.

Who Should Book

Madison's is the right choice for a special-occasion dinner when you are already in the Highlands area. Couples celebrating anniversaries, small groups using the inn for a retreat, solo travelers staying at Old Edwards who want a proper evening, all land well here. It is a less obvious fit if you are driving two hours from Asheville specifically for dinner and have not booked the inn. At that distance, there are stronger standalone reasons to make the trip than the restaurant alone, unless the soufflé or Brainos's wine program is specifically the draw.

Practical Details

Reservations: Book as far ahead as possible; dinner fills with hotel guests and regulars. Hours: Breakfast 7–10 a.m. Lunch 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Dinner 6–9 p.m. Dress: Casually elegant, blazers and summer dresses are common at dinner, but khakis and loafers are equally accepted. No strict formal requirement. Location: 445 Main St, Highlands, NC 28741, inside Old Edwards Inn & Spa. Price Range: Not published; expect fine-dining price points given the Forbes Four-Star context. Wine: Ask for Phillippe Brainos by name if you want a curated wine progression through dinner.

How It Compares

Pearl Picks Near Madison's

• Cúrate, Spanish tapas in Asheville proper; livelier room, more social format
• Benne On Eagle, Afro-Appalachian cuisine in Asheville with strong local credentials
• Blackbird, Worth checking for Asheville fine dining comparisons
• Addissae Ethiopian Restaurant, Strong value option in the Asheville area
• All Day Darling, Casual American option for non-dinner meals

For a broader view of the region: our full Asheville restaurants guide, Asheville hotels guide, Asheville bars guide, Asheville wineries guide, and Asheville experiences guide.

If you are benchmarking against other inn-anchored fine dining or seasonally driven American kitchens, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg and The Catbird Seat in Nashville represent the upper tier of what this format can deliver. Harken Cafe in Charleston is a useful Southern American reference at a more accessible price point.